Officially, HB 503 is known as the "Preservation & Protection of the Right to Keep & Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles Act of 2008," even though elements of the business community continue to call it the “Guns at Work Law.”

This new law protects existing constitutional and statutory rights. Law-abiding gun owners can continue to have firearms in their private vehicles, for self-defense and other lawful purposes without fear of punitive actions against them by anti-gun businesses and employers.

Under the new law, any business or employer who violates the constitutional and statutory right of customers or employees to have firearms locked in their private vehicles can now be punished.

ALSO, under this new law, business owners will benefit from immunity from liability if guns stored in vehicles in the businesses parking lot are used to cause harm on the business property.

THE LAW APPLIES TO ALL BUSINESSES, ALL CUSTOMERS & EMPLOYEES.

The law covers ALL employers and businesses. The Legislature passed and Governor Crist signed it into law to protect the right of ALL law-abiding citizens to protect themselves.

The law requires employees who park in their employer's parking lot to have a concealed weapons license in order to be exempt from a policy that prohibits employees from having guns -- IF THEIR EMPLOYER HAS SUCH A POLICY.

Customers and invitees are not required to have concealed weapons licenses in order to have firearms in their vehicles when they park their vehicles in business parking lots.

The legislation does not prohibit any employer from having a policy that bars employees from having guns on the employer's property. It merely exempts employees, who have a concealed weapons license, from the policy as it relates to having a gun locked in their private vehicle in the parking lot. Employees who do not have concealed weapons licenses are subject to an employer’s anti-gun, gun ban policy.

Nothing in the law allows an employer/business owner/business manager to prohibit customers or invitees from having firearms locked in their private vehicles in a publicly accessible parking lot. In fact, the law specifically stops any such action against customers and invitees.

The ONLY people who can be prohibited from having legal firearms lawfully stored in a car in a publicly accessible parking lot are employees who do not have concealed weapons licenses and who work for an employer that has a gun ban POLICY.

The U.S. Supreme Court has just ruled that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right that belongs to all Americans and is not connected to militia service.

Further, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that self-defense is central to the Second Amendment.

That is exactly what this law is all about: preserving and protecting your individual right to have and carry (keep and bear) firearms in your vehicle for self-defense against attackers and for other lawful purposes, AND to provide penalties to stop anti-gun businesses from violating those rights.

While the law does not provide new rights for gun owners, IT DOES PROVIDE NEW BENEFITS FOR BUSINESSES. Yesterday, business owners had no immunity from liability if a firearm stored in a vehicle in its parking lot was used to cause harm on its property. TODAY, they do have immunity.

RL357Mag

07-01-2008 06:58 PM

I hope this spreads like wild fire!

mrwatch

07-01-2008 07:00 PM

good

I assume it won't effect employees of the post office and other federal job locations as it is considered federal property? Airports? Just private employers. How about county court parking?

tracker

07-01-2008 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RL357Mag
(Post 29998)

I hope this spreads like wild fire!

I agree, and I believe it will. Any law barring firearms in a parking lot are broken constantly--If one has a CCW and goes into an establishment where firearms are banned ( Restaurant's are a good example ), what other option does the owner of the firearm have?

RL357Mag

07-02-2008 01:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tracker
(Post 30005)

I agree, and I believe it will. Any law barring firearms in a parking lot are broken constantly--If one has a CCW and goes into an establishment where firearms are banned ( Restaurant's are a good example ), what other option does the owner of the firearm have?

True - I think this ruling was borne out of the case several years ago where an employee of a very well known national company was terminated because he had his rifle in his truck to go hunting after work- I forget the name of the company. I wonder if this will eventually include "gun free" zones at schools...I don't think it will affect the Post Office rules or any Federal property/courts.

Ruger Redhawk

07-02-2008 01:42 AM

When I lived in Florida the company I had worked for had that no Guns on company property BS.I never paid attention to it.There was always a gun in my truck. All I have to say they had better have all their ducks in a row if they would have fired me.I've had a FL CCW since1987. My feelings were or are and no Mickey Mouse company was going to deprive me of my rights. As bad as they treated people I can honestly say I can't believe someone didn't go postal. Now they can take their anti gun policy and shove it where the sun doesn't shine. I hope it spreads like wild fire. Florida was who started the Right to Carry and it's spread in a fairly short time period. I do hope it pans out down there and let other states see it's a good thing.

fapprez

07-02-2008 02:40 AM

This is a totally useless victory.

Florida CWP owners can now legally keep a weapon in the trunk of their car at work? What F*ing good will that do you if you need to use it, um, inside the building?

What? Do you leave the building, go to your car, retrieve your firearm, head back into the building and shoot the perp? Then what? They nail you for premedetated murder? After all, you were clear of danger when you left the building. You see where I am going with this.

RL357Mag

07-04-2008 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fapprez
(Post 30078)

This is a totally useless victory.

Florida CWP owners can now legally keep a weapon in the trunk of their car at work? What F*ing good will that do you if you need to use it, um, inside the building?

What? Do you leave the building, go to your car, retrieve your firearm, head back into the building and shoot the perp? Then what? They nail you for premedetated murder? After all, you were clear of danger when you left the building. You see where I am going with this.

If you were talking about NY I would agree. But Fla. has been much more friendly to gunowners defending themselves and others than most states on the eastern seaboard.